Matt Fierst

SPORTS AND ANXIETY

“WHAT IS ANXIETY?”

• Anxiety is stress that comes from any event or thought that makes you feel angry, resentful or apprehensive.

• Anxiety is the most common mental illness in the United States.

ADRENALINE TURNS TO ANXIETY• Psychologist Arlin Cuncic states that when athletes get “pumped up” for a sporting event,

their adrenaline turns to anxiety which could have disastrous effects on the performance of the athlete.

COORDINATED MOVEMENTS BECOME MORE DIFFICULT IN A “TENSE STATE”

• When faced with the symptoms of anxiety, athletes tend to go into what is called a “tense state”, in which the muscles become stiff or tight thus resulting in the increase in difficulty to make sudden coordinated movements that are required in most sports.

NEGATIVE THOUGHT PATTERNS RESULT IN A SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY

• When athletes get major adrenaline rushes during or before sporting events, that sudden rush can cause severe negative thought patterns which can result in what is called a “Self-Fulfilling Prophecy”. A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy is when (in this case) an athlete possess the thought that his/her team will lose the competition, thus resulting in actions causing the team to fail.

“HOW DOES THIS AFFECT ME?”

• The presence of anxiety in sports has many effects on athletes of any sport. Anxiety can cause negative thought patterns, bring an athlete into a “tense state”, cause the inability to make sudden coordinated movements or result in a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy.. The truth is that Anxiety can affect athletes in all sports and can also affect athletes of a any age, from high school to even professional.